Monday, 5 September 2016

Suit Filed By Nigerian Lawyer Delaying Abacha’s Loots From US

Abuakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney General of the Federation and
Minister for Justice, has explained that the suit filed by a lawyer,
Godson Nnaka, for a share in assets recovered from former military
ruler, General Sani Abacha, valued at $458million is stalling the
reparation of the money to Nigeria.

In a statement he issued yesterday in Abuja, the minister said in 2013,
the United States Department of Justice, (USDOJ) as part of its
Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, commenced a forfeiture proceeding
to confiscate approximately $550 million that had been corruptly
obtained by late General Abacha and his associates (the “Abacha Case”).

According to him, a portion of the Abacha loot, valued at $458 million,
has now been forfeited to the United States. He said: “On December 17,
2015, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
entered final judgment forfeiting certain Abacha assets valued at $458
million.

“The forfeiture proceeding as to those assets is therefore concluded and
the forfeited assets are ripe for repatriation to the innocent victim –
Nigeria.

“However, Godson Nnaka has filed an appeal against the judgment of
forfeiture, falsely claiming to be entitled to a portion of the assets
as compensation for legal services allegedly rendered to Nigeria. His
claim is untrue.

“The USDOJ has represented to us that the appeal is the only issue
delaying repatriation of the forfeited assets to Nigeria. They have
explained that the forfeited assets are not located in the US and that
only upon disposition of the appeal would the US then have a final
judgment upon which it can seek the retrieval of the forfeited assets
which are frozen in multiple foreign jurisdictions and return same to
Nigeria.

“The forfeiture of the remaining $100 million in assets is still
pending. The forfeiture of these assets is being contested by certain
individuals, who are related to Atiku Bagudu (General Abacha’s
associate) and who claim that these assets are the subject matter of a
private family trust.

“In this regard, we are cooperating with the USDOJ by providing them
with the documents, information, witnesses and other evidence required
to secure expeditious forfeiture of this portion of the Abacha loot.”
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